Presentation Guidelines

The following guidelines and forms will be helpful as you prepare for your oral presentation at the conference. Please note the list of audio-visual equipment which will be available for your use at the conference. If you require any other equipment, you must advise us well in advance and note that you may be responsible for the cost. We will try to accommodate your needs without extra cost to you, but special orders may be charged directly to you. Please check with us for prices and availability.

INTRODUCTIONGood visual aids can greatly enhance the effect your presentation has on the audience. Experience at past conferences has shown that many of the oral presentations have not been adequately prepared. Often an attempt was made to present too much material and too much detail. Visual aids, the primary means to hold the attention of the audience, were often poorly conceived and inadequately prepared. It is our hope that these guidelines will help you prepare a better visual presentation.

Most sessions run 90 minutes without a break and typically include four papers. Unless otherwise noted, this allows for introductions and then 20 minutes per paper, of which about 5 minutes should be reserved for audience questions and comments.

REMEMBER, your entire paper is published in the Proceedings and on the CD-ROM. Your objective in the oral presentation should be to describe the highlights of your paper, progress since the paper was written, and future plans. DO NOT try to present the paper in its entirety, and do not read it!

PREPARATION OF PRESENTATION

BASIC ORGANIZATIONThe most significant constraint facing the speaker is the time limit for presentation. As described above, presentations are nominally allotted 20 minutes unless otherwise noted.

This time limit also restricts the number of concepts or major technical points that can be made by the speaker and absorbed by the audience. As a guideline, it is suggested that a presentation cover no more than 10 technical points. Logically linked by the theme of the paper, each of these technical points can be expressed as a declarative statement, substantiated with supporting material. Though the selection of no more than 10 significant points may seem like a great hardship, it will enhance the audience appreciation of a paper by focusing on the most significant information.

VISUAL AIDSThe best way to present material in a limited time period is to use well-conceived visual aids that support each of the points to be made. As a first approximation, the speaker should plan for overhead slides or ”VIEWING FRAMES” for each of the 10 technical points to be presented. All rooms will be set up for overhead computer projected presentations. Any additional audio- visual requirements must be arranged with HPCS prior to the conference.

Visual aids significantly simplify the presentation task. They simultaneously focus the audience attention and provide cues for the speaker. The speaker should plan to speak about all of the material on a slide (or it shouldn’t be there) before amplifying a single item.

In general, include no more than six supporting concepts on each slide presenting one technical point. If there are more, simply select the most pertinent. Remember once again, visual aids are not a complete reconstruction of the manuscript. The full story appears in the Proceedings and visual aids are only attention-focusing cues for the most interesting highlights.

TIMINGA speaker can expect to speak about SIX sentences per slide, which normally runs about 120 words or 1 to 1.5 spoken minutes. Since a speaker will have ten slides, the basic presentation will run ten minutes. This allows 5-10 minutes to title, identify, and summarize the basic material, recognizing that audience receptiveness peaks at the beginning and conclusion of each talk. Therefore, a total of 15-20 slides will be more than adequate normally.

SPEAKER ATTITUDE AND SPONTANEITYThe primary advantage for the speaker who organizes her presentation in this manner is that she can approach the audience with the assurance that she can easily and effectively present the salient points in her paper.

Since the speaker is cued by his slides, and since he certainly can speak to any of the technical points he has selected for at least one minute, the speaker no longer needs a written speech or even prepared notes. Thus, a measure of spontaneity can enter the technical presentations. Coming well prepared makes things go much easier.

DEVIATIONS FROM GUIDELINESThe Session Chairperson makes the final decisions regarding timing of presentations, subject to the constraint that all papers in the session must be completed within the time allotted. Any deviations from these guidelines should be approved by the Chair.

SPEAKER'S BREAKFASTOn the morning of your presentation, a Speaker's Breakfast will be held for you to meet with your Session Chair and Co- Presenters. This meeting is mandatory. Please do your best to attend.